Riley Exhorts His Heat Hero, Who Responds

DAVE HYDE - Commentary

MIAMI - — They sat on the bench, listened to the good plan and suddenly a season in search of a savior and a series in need of a hero settled on the coldest Heat player.

Tim Hardaway hadn't scored in two quarters, hadn't made more than a layup since Orlando.

"Didn't matter," coach Pat Riley said.

Hardaway had missed 10 straight shots and was shooting 27 percent for the playoffs.

"I go with him when he's up, and I'll ride him down," Riley said.

On this team, in this huddle, especially with this season up for grabs, Hardaway remained the best choice to get the basketball, as well as the only one to lead the Heat into the next round against New York.

He had become a story again this season. Now he would set the storyline of this team again in Sunday's 91-83 victory. That's why Riley had called this timeout, with 1:25 left, the Heat's second within nine seconds.

He repeated the message each time. He wanted Hardaway to become Hardaway again. Make some room. Drive or stop. Pass or shoot.

"You got the basketball," Riley told him.

"I want it," Hardaway said.

"Take it to the hole, make something happen," Riley said.

"Yeah, I will."

This is what Riley wanted to hear. They all did. A few seconds earlier, Orlando's Darrell Armstrong had muttered to Hardaway about his bad shooting, trying to wedge deeper in the Heat guard's head. "I'm due," Hardaway answered.

Now Gary Grant, who hadn't played in four months, grabbed Hardaway out of this second timeout huddle, with the Heat lead down to four points, and pulled him close.

"You know what you can do," Grant said. "You might be struggling with your shot, but you've hit so many big shots for us. Just go out and do it. Do your crossover dribble and hit one."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," Hardaway said.

And so, with this plan, the Heat again would sink or win with its best player, not its biggest, not its strongest, certainly not its most expensive.

Not Alonzo Mourning.

It is fascinating what pressure can do, make the smallest player, like Hardaway, the biggest and the biggest, like Mourning, look the smallest. Mourning scored 18 points through three quarters but only four in the tightened fourth.

Mourning could look at the stat sheet, as he had after each game this series, and wonder aloud again: When you score 22 points, how can you be asked about struggling?

Because the first 18 become meaningless if the last four are all you can do when it's essential to do more.

Hardaway did it the other way. He scored just six through three quarters ,and saved his best for when the day was to be won or lost. He gave Mourning another free lesson in what it means to be a team's MVP.

He also missed that shot out of timeout huddle.

"I thought, Damn!" he said.

And that was all?

"It was out of my mind after that," he said. "There was no moment of doubt. I wasn't thinking about any of those shots I missed. I knew some plays had to be made for us to win."

Next possession, he got the ball and this time took Armstrong with a crossover dribble right. Armstrong got in his way, as he had all series, and Hardaway pulled up with a 20-foot jumper.

"I knew that was in," he said.

It was 86-80, but Penny Hardaway hit a 3-pointer to pull Orlando back within three. The Heat's Hardaway was asked to take the shot again. Same play. Same move. Only this time Armstrong defended it even better.

"He tried to drive and I cut him off," Armstrong said. "I was in perfect position, and he was kind of moving away from the basket and he took the shot. What can you do? You shake his hand."

It was a 3-pointer. It was 89-83 with 14.1 seconds left.

"It was over," Hardaway said. "I knew it. I looked at the clock, and there was no doubt in my mind."

Finally and belatedly, the Magic was dead. It played better than anyone expected, even its coach. Sunday was a continuation of the series, the Heat with a hammer in its hand but never figuring how to nail down the win.

Outside the locker room, on the way back to his office, Riley wasn't buying the idea that his team stumbled to this series' victory.

"Did we eke it out?" he said. "I don't give a [bleep). The playoff is a different animal. It's about surviving and moving on. It could've just as easily have gone the other way if not for the courage of one player - not only the courage to take the shot but to make it."

Riley smiled. "I've been around some guys who have bailed my ass out before. Hey, I'll ride his coattails to the finals if I can."

Hardaway wore no coattails, just a suit jacket, as he began the walk outside Miami Arena. He was told it was raining. He didn't care. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around.

"Good luck to you," said Armstrong, his nemesis so much of this series, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"Good luck, too," Hardaway said.

"Enjoyed playing against you," Armstrong said.

"It was fun," Hardaway replied.

The fun goes on. The Knicks are next. One hero was remade for the Heat, and another series beckons. Hardaway watched Armstrong walk away and called to him.